Angel With A Shotgun [Levi Ackerman x OC] / Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin

Code VIII: Practice

Eren let out a gasp of shock. "What happened?!"

Hange shrugged, her eyes moving back to the documents in her hands. "No one knows. The Betas had discovered that the artifact had not been stolen, and there had been many unidentifiable bodies along with the agents that had been sent. No one knows who killed them—whether it was her, or someone else. Something I do know, however, is that the other Gammas were torn apart, like something had almost devoured them."

"And how was Archangel still alive?"

"When she was found, she was still on site, holding a bloody machete in her hands. Her entire body was covered in blood, but somehow, she was completely unharmed. The poor girl was absolutely traumatized, to say the very least. It turned out she was in shock, and it was bad enough that she didn't utter a single word of what happened on that mission to a absolutely anyone, including Erwin—no matter how much he tried to coax it out of her. Eventually they gave up, and to this day, no one knows what happened—nobody except Archangel, of course."

"Oh, my..." Eren rubbed his eyes with his hands and ran them through his unruly strands of hair, shaking his head. "I would've never expected something like that. I can't believe she went through something so traumatizing. She's just so... calm. And level-headed. In all honesty, it seems like she's never felt fear at all, ever."

Hange shrugged again and put a couple of portfolios in one of the filing cabinets.

"According to rumors, again," the scientist continued, "ever since that incident, she became much more withdrawn and introverted. Before this, she was a lot more sociable—just a kind, innocent child who worked hard to make everyone happy. Something inside her changed, and she created a wall between herself and everyone else."

Silence.

"Wow," Eren breathed, fascinated with the tale. "Just... wow. Do you think by now she's ready to tell us what happened on that mission?"

A breath of a chuckle left Hange's lips, but it didn't have an inkling of humor in that sharp sound. "Judging from the way she stormed out when you asked... no."

---

A knock at the door caught Levi's attention. He was flipping through a few files on his desk, trying to relieve the simmering of his irritation.

"Come in," he deadpanned. Xora entered the room, the tension in her posture immediately catching Levi's eye. She stalked over to the front of his desk, her hands clasped behind her back, and bowed lowly.

"Good day, sir," she greeted, but Levi cut off her greeting swiftly.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked with a single raised brow, his calculating eyes surveying her carefully. They first caught the way her arms were tense and her shoulders rigid, the way her jaw was set and eyes clouded. Their gazes locked onto each other and her features softened as she let out a small breath.

"Yes. I am fine, sir. With all due respect, waste your time being concerned about me."

Levi leaned back in his chair. "I dislike unnecessary deaths. If we were to take on another assignment tonight, and we were to need to fight, you would be much more likely to die. This lack of wellness spells for room for mistake—especially with the given circumstances."

Xora bowed her head again, her chin bobbing. "I understand, Captain."

Setting down the pen he'd been holding, Levi asked slowly, "Why are you here? Did you need something?"

"Ah, yes," Xora voiced, her eyes brightening. "I've finished going through everything Hange gave me. Is there anything you would like me to do?"

Levi was silent for a few moments as he searched through his crowded thoughts before coming to an answer. "Not at the moment," he noted, "but there is something I would like to address with you, Xora."

Xora's breath caught in her throat briefly at the sound of her name; she felt the urge to question him about it again, but decided against it, confident he wouldn't give her a proper answer. It would show nothing but insolence. "What is it, sir?"

"Have you ever taken on a disguise for a mission before? Before yesterday?

"As I have said before, I am more skilled in the field of espionage and undercover work. This is not my specialty."

"I see. Well, your social skills were a bit... questionable. Particularly when it came to interacting with me."

Acknowledging this, Xora's eyes dropped to the desk as she nodded. "I have known that. I apologize, again, if I am not up to par with your expectations. Usually, I am not one to socialize, so I apologize. In the future I will try at my best to be more... cooperative."

"You don't socialize much?" Levi stood and looped around the desk until he stood in front of her, gazing into her eyes intensely. "That would explain many things. Tell me again—have you truly never had a lover before?"

"Never," Xora answered with a brisk shake of her head.

"That explains a lot." His hand went up to caress her cheek. "Here, let's practice. It's useful to practice, and I can vouch for that. Well—so long as I have your granted permission."

"I suppose it is for a mission," Xora reassured, mostly to herself. "Things like this are of little bother."

Heeding her answer, Levi leaned forward and touched his forehead against hers, his left hand cupping her cheek, the other tucking a loose strand of her inky black hair behind her ear.

"Seraphina, my love," he whispered in his low, rumbly voice. The way he switched effortlessly into French sent a tingle down her spine. "Stay with me."

His left thumb gently ran over her smooth skin, drawing a strange kind of heat to Xora's cheeks as his eyes looked into hers lovingly.

"My precious bird," he continued in his silky voice, "I love you."

The hand that had toyed with loose strands of her hair swept over her skin and dragged over to her chin, where he tilted her face toward his. He pulled her closer—closer, until his lips were hovering just above hers, only a hair's breath until they would collide and sparks would fly, the world beginning to glow, blazing high with embers, so bright they—

"And that's how it usually goes," Levi instructed in a nonchalant tone, cutting off Xora's anticipation. He pulled away the moment before their lips touched. Xora yanked herself back to reality—to remember that it was all an act, training her so that if they ever took on their pseudonyms once more, she could act properly. "Got it? If you want, we can practice again, even with Eren or Hange."

"I—I think I've got it," Xora stammered, turning away abruptly to leave his office. "Thank you, sir. I will try my best in the future." Realizing how ridiculous she must've sounded, she quickly exited, her mind swimming, her heart racing. She covered her mouth in what she hoped to be disgust, but it felt a bit different in her gut.

Heading quickly to her room, Xora bounded up the steps and tumbled inside the one place in which she could be alone. Rushing into the bathroom, she made sure to turn the lock before hobbling over to the sink, her shoulders hunched, a palm over her mouth as she struggled to stop hyperventilating. Her vision was dissolving and mixing, and she was seeing double of everything.

What was it, this strange feeling? What was it Xora felt when the captain had leaned in so close like that? Why was her heart racing so madly? Was she experiencing heart problems?"

"It was only practice," she panted in self-assurance, her entire body shaking badly. "It was just practice." She sank to her knees, one hand clutching the ledge of the porcelain sink.

"Practice. Just practice."

The racing of her heart refused to slow, and something in her mind began to take form. But with every ounce of willpower she had, she shoved it away, burying her face in her hands.

Now was not the time to develop a weakness.